Bridging East & West for Global Mission
Equipping diaspora believers to reach their own communities Empowering the Church for cross-cultural discipleship From everywhere, to everywhere—fulfilling the Great Commission
Our Story: East & West in Cross-Cultural Partnership
In 2020, the founders Matt Paschall (US) and Peter Samir (Egypt) met in Sweden with a shared a mutual passion for reaching out to refugees, migrants and foreigners in Europe and commitment for equipping the local church to engage within their communities. Their primary focus was to bridge the gap between East and West by reconciling diaspora communities and overcoming cultural barriers.
QUEST began online in 2020 during the pandemic and ended the first year with 93 students enrolled in the online mission school. As the program progressed several mission agencies and refugee ministries began involving these students in their work. In December 2021 the official name “Quest Academy” was introduced. In 2022, an international trustee board was created representing a diverse group of men and women from the West and the East.
In 2023 to the present day, the leadership of QUEST has continued to grow as well as the administrative structure, financial and legal and financial support to increase capacity and provide sustainability for the ministry.
What is our unique contribution and reason for existence?
QUEST Academy exists to prepare a new generation of diaspora believers to reach their own people by serving locally and globally. We believe the fulfillment of the Great Commission is not dependent on the West to reach the rest, but God is bringing people from everywhere to reach everywhere. Traditional missions and churches often overlook an untapped potential of near culture believers gifted with the same culture and language who are effective and efficient resources for God’s redemptive plan.
QUEST Academy believes there is a role for the foreign missionary and the Western Church but the cost and cultural distance of sending traditional missionaries is inadequate to meet the spiritual needs and opportunities of reaching diaspora peoples.
QUEST Academy is committed to coming alongside the local church to fulfill the mission that has come to their doorstep. Equipping pastors and mission leaders for effective cross-cultural outreach and discipleship is an important for impacting our multicultural world. Through Building Bridges and Church Partnership Evangelism, we are bringing the global church (East and West) into a new community for discipleship and kingdom impact.